A House is not a Home Important Questions Class 9 Moments English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does she do?
Answer
One Sunday afternoon, the author smelled something strange and noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling of his house. His mother reacted promptly and the two of them ran out into the front yard. However, she ran back into the house and brought out a small metal box full of important documents.
Question 2. Why did Zan try to run after his mother and why did the fireman hold him back?
Answer
Zan tried to run after his mother because he was afraid of losing her. He was afraid that she might get burnt in the fire. The fireman held him back because Zan’s act was very rash and illogical. the lie could not have saved his mother and would have risked his life as well.
Question 3. A month later, I was at my house watching them rebuild it. But this time it was different.' How was it different?
Answer
A month later, the author was at his house. The house was being rebuilt but he wasn't alone. His two friends from school were with him. The fire was responsible for all the wonderful people around him. His life was getting back to normal. Now he focused on feelings of positivity and security.
Question 4. “I knew what she was after”. Why does Zan make this observation?
Answer
Zan’s mother ran back to save the pictures and letters of his father who had died when Zan was young. Zan knew that these memories of her husband were extremely precious for her and she did not want them to go up in flames.
Question 5. What happened to his mother when she ran into the burning house?
Answer
She inhaled a lot of smoke and fell unconscious in the burning house. Later the firemen rescued her. She put on an oxygen mask. She soon regained her senses and became alright.
Question 6. Why did Zan’s mother have to borrow money from his grandparents?
Answer
Zan’s mother had to borrow money from his grandparents because her credit cards, cash and even identification that was needed to draw money from the bank had got burnt up in the fire. She had to rent a new place, buy new clothes for Zan and resettle quickly. She did not have time to wait for the recovery of her lost documents till then.
Question 7. What was the author’s mother doing on a Sunday afternoon?
Answer
It was blowing cold on that Sunday afternoon. And the author was doing homework at the dining table. His mother was fuelling the fire at the fireplace to keep the room warm.
Question 8. Why did the author’s mother run into the house for the second time?
Answer
She ran into the house for the second time to collect her husband’s letters and pictures.
Question 9. How did Zan's mother save important documents from the burning house?
Answer
As soon as the fire broke out Zan and his mother ran out into the front yard. Zan ran to the neighbours to call the fire department whereas Zan's mother ran inside to get the box full of important documents.
Question 10. Why did Zan feel awkward and isolated during his first year of high school?
Answer
Zan’s position during his first year of high school as the junior most class made him feel awkward. The big size of the new school and the separation from his closest friends made him feel isolated.
Question 11. How did the narrator try to save the cat?
Answer
After five hours, when the fire was finally out, it struck to the author that the cat was nowhere to be seen. He started crying and tried to get into the house to bring back his cat. But the firemen didn't allow him so the author requested him to save the cat.
Question 12. Which three things made the author’s house a home?
Answer
The fire tragedy changed the author’s life. He was so depressed that he did not want to grow up and wanted to die. But his reunion with his cat, his new friends in the school and his new house made his house ‘a home’ where he could live.
Question 13. Who brought out Zan’s mother from the burning house? Why was an oxygen mask put on her?
Answer
A fireman brought Zan’s mother out of the burning house. She had inhaled a little smoke so he rushed her to the truck and put an oxygen mask on her to facilitate better breathing.
Question 14. Why did the author miss his old teachers?
Answer
The author missed his old teachers because they would encourage him to get involved in school activities so that he could meet new people. They also assured him that he would soon adjust to his new school. Their affection, warmth, and cooperation in making him feel special made the author miss them.
Question 15. Why does the author break down in tears after the fire?
Answer
After the fire broke out in the author's house, he and his mother ran out into the front yard. There was no trace of his cat. The author thought that it had been killed in the fire and therefore broke down in tears after the fire.
Question 16. When did the author realise that his cat was missing?
Answer
After five hours of a raging fire that burnt down the author’s house almost completely, he realised that his cat was missing. He had not seen her all this while and realised to his horror that she was nowhere to be found.
Question 17. Why did they have to borrow money?
Answer
They had to borrow money because their credit cards, cash or even identification to withdraw money from the bank had burnt in the fire.
Answer
The mother risked the fire and rushed to the house to secure a small metal box full of important documents, pictures and letters of his father. They were the only things that she had to remember him by.
Question 19. Why does the narrator say, “I was suffering loss, big time”?
Answer
The author feels that he was suffering loss, big time because he had lost his old dear school and teachers, he had lost his house to the fire, and now he had lost his dear cat whom he loved dearly.
Question 20. In what condition did the author go to his school after the fire incident?
Answer
The fire had burnt all the author's belongings. He was deeply embarrassed because he had no uniform, no books and no bag. He felt as if all the security was ripped away and walked around the school dully.
Question 21. How did the author get rid of his feelings of loss and tragedy?
Answer
His new friends in the new school and the kindness of the lady, who returned his cat, helped the author in getting rid of his feelings of loss and tragedy. He regained confidence. Now he wanted to live happily in his new home.
Question 22. In what condition does the author go to school after the fire incident?
Answer
After the fire incident, the author goes to school wearing the dress that he had worn to church on Sunday morning and the tennis shoes that he had borrowed from his aunt. His shoes, clothes, books, homework, and backpack had been destroyed in the fire.
Question 23. 'Everything felt surreal'? Who spoke the given line? What did the speaker mean by this?
Answer
The author in the story 'A house is not a home' spoke the given line. The word surreal means something strange or bizarre. The author had to wear borrowed shoes. He had neither his backpack nor homework. He had to go his new school. He felt like a geek or an outcast because he didn't have any friends in the new school. All this made him feel surreal or strange.
Question 24. Even after taking admission in a new school, why did the author keep visit his teachers at the old school
Answer
The author felt very isolated in the new school. It was a big school and nobody knew him there. All his fellows at the junior school had been admission in other schools. But he was very close to the teachers of the previous school. So he visited them often.
Question 25. Why did the author dislike growing up?
Answer
The author disliked growing up because he felt that growing up had brought so many losses with it. He had lost his old school, his friends, his house and most of all his dear pet cat.
Question 26. What help did the author get from his schoolmates after the fire accident?
Answer
The schoolmates, after knowing about the author's plight, helped him in every way. They gave him shoes, clothes, sweaters, books, notebooks and many other things. They all invited the author to their houses.
Question 27. What was the extent of the damage caused by the fire?
Answer
All belongings except photo albums, documents and some personal items had got burnt in the fire. Whatever remained had been destroyed by the water and chemicals that had been used to put out the fire.
Question 28. What thoughts crossed Zan’s mind when he missed his cat?
Answer
Zan thought of his cat as the vulnerable little kitten who would tag along after him in the morning. He thought of how she would climb up his robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep.
Question 29. How did the author spend time with his tabby cat?
Answer
In the early morning, when the author would disturb her and get out of bed, she would tag along after him, climb up his robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep. Most of the time the red tabby cat used to lay on top of the author's papers, purring loudly and occasionally swatting at his pen for entertainment's sake.
Question 30. Why was the author overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates?
Answer
The author was overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates because they had gone out of their way to bring him the things he needed. He was touched by their genuine outpouring of concern.
Question 31. How did the author’s feelings of loss and tragedy seem to diminish?
Answer
The author felt gratitude for life, his new friends, the kindness of the woman who had rescued his cat and certainly for the life of his beautiful cat. This gratitude diminished his feelings of loss and tragedy.
Question 32. What is the meaning of "My cat was back and so was I"? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?
Answer
The fire had destroyed everything. The author was feeling very gloomy after the fire incident especially because his cat was missing after that. Zan felt his cat had died in the incident because there was no news about its whereabouts. The author had lost interest in everything. When a kind woman brought back his cat, he regained interest in life. Therefore, he said, "My cat was back and so was I."
Question 33. Why was it different for Zan to see his house getting rebuilt? How did the fire help him?
Answer
It was different to see his house getting rebuilt because Zan wasn’t alone this time. Two of his new friends from school were with him. The fire had helped him by diverting his mind away from his feelings of insecurity. He now opened up to the wonderful people around.
Question 34. What happened to the author’s cat after his house was burned down?
Answer
When the fire broke, almost the entire house was burnt. The author realised that the cat was nowhere to be found. It was clear that the cat might have been injured due to fire or run away due to fear.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. The lady who handed over Zan’s cat to him did a noble deed. Write a few reasons to appreciate her deed.
Answer
The author loved his cat very much. He lost his cat when his house caught fire. He tried to find the cat but did not get her. After a month, a woman came to him with his cat. He could not believe it. He grabbed his cat and started jumping. The wonderful woman somehow handed over his cat to him. She tried her best to find the owner of the cat. On seeing the collar and the phone number written on it, she decided that the cat was loved and missed. She was a good lady. She realized the feeling of the owner of the cat. The author called her wonderful as getting his cat back was no less than wonder for him. Really, she did a noble deed.
Question 2. Describe the fire tragedy that struck Zan’s house?
Answer
What was stoked to keep the house nice and warm, triggered a major fire break out that turned Zan’s house to cinders and left him and his mother devastated.
At first, Zan only smelled something strange but soon noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling. The smoke filled the room quickly and Zan and his mother could barely see. Somehow, they groped their way to the front door and ran out into the front yard.
No sooner had they made their way outside than the whole roof was engulfed in flames, and the fire spread quickly. Zan ran to his neighbours to call the fire department and his mother ran back into the house and soon came out carrying a small metal box full of important documents. She rushed back into the house to retrieve his husband’s pictures and letters – the only things she had to remember him by.
Zan tried to run after her but was stopped by a fireman. The fire truck had already arrived and was busy dousing the fire. Some firefighters ran into the house and safely brought out Zan’s mother and gave her an oxygen mask because she had inhaled smoke. It took five hours to finally put out the fire but the house was almost completely burnt and there was the sign of Zan’s pet cat. Zan feared that she was burnt alive.
Question 3. Was the fire both destructive and constructive for the author? How?
Answer
The fire had destroyed the author's house. It had separated him from his pet, Tabby, for a month. But at the same time, this fire constructed new relationships between the author and his classmates at school. He had felt estranged in his new school. He didn't have friends. But his classmates came forward and tried to help the author overcome the fear and trauma that the fire mishap had caused. This cemented a friendship between them. This is how the fire was both destructive and constructive for the author.
Question 4. Describe the author’s experience at school after the fire tragedy.
Answer
The author had just joined a new school. He was facing a big problem to make himself fit in the new school. Just after a couple of days in his house caught fire. His school bag and shoes had burnt in a fire.
The next day he went to school. He was around school like a wanderer. Everything appeared to him strange. He did not know what was going to happen him. He returned home with a broken heart. He was experiencing terrible developments in his life.
The next day when he went to school; he found a strange atmosphere all around. People were getting together all around him. They had collected money for him and arranged school supplies and clothing for him. This changed his vision for life once again.
Question 5. How is a Home different from a House? Explain with reference to the lesson ‘A House Is Not a Home’.
Answer
Life without love is not life. Human relationship is based on love. The title itself indicates clearly that a house is not a home without love. The author had to face adverse circumstances in his life. He was a fatherless boy. He led a satisfactory life with his old friends and teachers. But when he changed schools, he could not adjust to the new environment. He felt alienated. Later, his house caught fire and he lost all the things including his cat. He started feeling dejected and isolated. Life had no interest in him anymore. He started building a new house. But it was not home, as a house is a home only when there is love and happiness. The author did not have any attachment to the new house. His reunion with his cat, his new friends and the new house made his house a home.
Question 6. What is the meaning of the sentence “My cat was back, and so was I”? Had the writer gone somewhere? Why does she say that she is also back?
Answer
The writer means to say that the return of her cat marked an end to the period of loss and loneliness that she and her mother had been experiencing since their house burnt down. In the fire, the writer and her mother had lost all their possessions, and for a month they had to survive on charity and donations from acquaintances and family members like her grandparents and aunt.
However, by the time the cat was returned to her by a kind lady who had rescued it and traced its family, the writer had made many friends in her new school and regained her self-worth. She was once again in control of her life and secure in the acceptance and love of the people around her. With the return of her cat, it was as though her new life was now complete again.
Question 7. Why was the author's mother insistent on the author's going to school the very next day after the fire mishap?
Answer
I think the author's mother was insistent on the author's going to school the very next day of the fire mishap because life had taught her that it goes on no matter what happens. Since life had not stopped even after her husband's death and she had come to terms with it, she knew that, that too shall pass. She knew that time heals everyone. One should try to continue doing one's work because it is meaningless to ponder over the grief. The more one thinks about what is lost, the more difficult it is to come out of the grief. Since life moves on, it is wise to forget about what one cannot get back. The author's mother knew that the author was in trauma. If he didn't go to school, he would visit the rubble, think about his cat and become unhappy. Life is not about mourning the loss but about giving it a fresh renewed start.
Question 8. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story?
Answer
The red tabby cat had been rescued by the author when she was a helpless kitten. She would never be far from him and knew that he was the one responsible for giving her a good life. He would get up early in the morning and teasingly disturb her. She would then tag along after him, climb up his robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep. Zan loved her so much that he would allow the cat to sit over his papers and swat at his pen while he did his homework. He missed her terribly after losing her and would go over to watch the clearing of debris with the hope of finding her somewhere. When she was restored back to Zan, the cat purred as happily as the author felt elated to get her back. Even the woman who rescued the cat knew that she was loved and sorely missed.
Question 9. What are the changes observed in the writer’s attitude from the time her house is burnt, till it is rebuilt?
Answer
In the beginning, before her house was burnt, the writer was unhappy in her new school. She felt awkward and lonely starting as a freshman after having been a senior in junior high. She found it difficult to relate to her classmates and teachers and continued to visit her old teachers, whom she missed terribly.
After the fire, she . was deeply touched by the generosity and kindness shown by her new schoolmates and teachers. She was overwhelmed and started opening up to them, making new friends. The tragedy thus helped her to mature and become more open and accepting of the changes that were taking place. She was no longer insecure.